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March 31, 2007
Evil Chuckles
Yesterday afternoon I was in a funk. A pretty standard place for me to be at this point; bored, lonely, sad. And then I visited a film review website, Pajiba, and read a response to a PR announcement and a set of wickedly funny comments that made me chuckle not only all afternoon, but long into the night.
May I just say that I have a hard time appreciating the "artist" whose painting will now be the subject of a film? I cannot stand his work. At first, I thought it was pretty, light, sweet, etc. But in all the years he's been selling paintings, nothing about his work has changed. Not the subjects, not the techniques. And anybody who will charge you more at one of his "galleries" to have a "master illuminator" (who you know makes minimum wage) actually put paint on a print on canvas is a huckster, pure and simple. A direct descendant of PT Barnum. It was so nice to know that I am not alone in my dislike, based on both the original entry and the resulting comments.
Anyway, I was, as the title to this post implies, chuckling evilly, and Dave wanted to know why. I read the best of the comments aloud to him, which made him chuckle evilly as well. (Dave also disdains Mr. Kinkade.) I giggled in fits and starts for much of the afternoon and evening, and that sparked a later conversation, as I burst into evil laughter at our local Starbucks after dinner.
One of the comments had to do with the whole "Painter of Light" TM sobriquet. The commenter pointed out that it was just copying "Zamphere, Master of the Pan Flute." I was giggling about that again and murmured to Dave that one of the truly evil aspects to that title and comparison is that I always think, "Master of the Skin Flute" first, and have to make a mental correction before I speak it aloud.
Dave: (Guffaws) They're not at all the same thing.
Sally: I know that. But they have mostly the same sounds. 'Pan Flute.' 'Skin Flute.'
Dave: But entirely different embrasures.
At which point I may have snorted as we both collapsed into giggles and had to hold each other up.
(Note: Dave asked me to point out that the above conversation happened in Starbucks, quietly, of course, but that the laughter was unstifleable, and the barristas now think we're insane.)
Posted by sally at 09:29 AM
March 28, 2007
Five Minutes in the Sallyacious Household
Last night, Dave made chicken sandwiches. Below are the pix I took in the kitchen between 5:19 and 5:24pm while he was pounding the pieces flat for "grilling". I deleted the most blurry photos, so there are a few gaps here and there. These are all in chronological order from left to right.
5:19pm
5:20pm
5:21pm
5:22pm
5:23pm
5:24pm
I'd say Katala really wanted some chicken.
She didn't get any.
Posted by sally at 02:30 PM
March 27, 2007
In Other News, Just Across the State Line...
Dateline: Pullman, Washington
Why oh why do the crazy people have to live here? Sometimes I wonder if they're following me.
Posted by sally at 07:35 AM
March 26, 2007
Hotey
I'm trying desperately to remember how to cut loose and have fun. I used to be able to do it. Before I came here, I had a group of friends with whom I could just relax and be myself and not worry about the consequences.
We used to get outrageously drunk together one weekend a year and laugh our asses off. It was such a great release.
Since I've been here, I haven't had that. I've had to be the good graduate student, an example for all the others (faculty told me that); I've been surrounded by people with drinking and other problems, so going out to play with them had consequences I didn't want to deal with (not all of them, but a significant few); I've had to be the teacher, and though I am indeed myself when I teach, and not some character, there is an appropriateness line I need to not cross. I've had to be well-behaved for various political reasons in this small town, and I haven't let my shadow out to play in a while. Which means I'm doing it with food. Not healthy.
I know some great women with whom I could cut loose and still be safe. Unfortunately, none of them live here. So I need to find some other ways to release. To break out in ways that won't jeopardize my job or my future or my husband's. Because this is a pretty straight-laced little town.
So I'm requesting suggestions. With a few guidelines. It can't be illegal or adulturous. It should be creative. Points for cleverness.
I want to regain the feeling of joy, my wonder at being alive. I want to be whole again. I want to remember what this feels like:
Posted by sally at 08:10 AM
March 24, 2007
And Because I've Been in a Cinematic Mood Lately
Two links. Because I can't manage to copy either image here.
1) The Stardust trailer is up. This is for the adaptation of Neil Gaiman's wonderful novel. I can hardly wait. I've already told Dave that we need to see it opening day.
2) This photo is one of the best illustrations I've ever seen for the ridiculous of the business I'm in. I tried to find the words for it, but no. Go see the picture.
Posted by sally at 10:38 AM
Meet 'Huey'
Which is the name I yelled out last night when the ominous sounds of claw sharpening drifted down the hallway. I was deeply asleep and that's the only thing I managed to say before collapsing into slumber again.
Dave says he hadn't realized until then that we have a new cat.
Posted by sally at 07:44 AM
March 23, 2007
Pan's Labrynth
I just saw this movie. Oh. My. God.
What can I say? It's gorgeous. Stunning. Breathtaking special effects, amazing story, incredible art design, glorious cinematography, great sound design, really strong acting performances. All in all, a truly great film.
And I love that the hero is a 12 year-old girl. Love that a lot.
I also love the fact that you're never quite sure how much is real and how much is the overactive imagination of a little girl who just wants to escape the bleak horribleness that is her reality.
But. Not a movie for children or those with weak stomachs or overactive imaginations. Because boy is it bloody. And terrifying in places. The images are vivid enough that they're still in my head in full technicolor. A couple of 12 year-old boys who came with their parents had to leave partway through. The violence and the gore and the language were just too much for them. Actually, in several places they were too much for me, and I had to try to figure out how to read the subtitles with my hands over my eyes.
(Interestingly, I had no trouble actually understanding the speakers. Their intentions were clear even when I wasn't reading the subtitles. Which is why I prefer subtitles to dubbing. After the first few minutes, you forget you're reading anyway.)
But if you haven't seen Pan's Labrynth and it comes to an art theatre near you, go. It's a great story well told.
Posted by sally at 08:45 PM
March 22, 2007
So Much To Say, So Little... Whatever...
All kinds of ideas/topics/thoughts bouncing around in my head lately. Unfortunately, that's all they're doing. Nothing's really sticking, growing, shoving itself to the forefront of my brain and demanding to be written about here. I know I haven't written anything Really Meaningful here in weeks. I haven't even written anything Really Long here in weeks. I've been trying to catch up with the whole living/teaching/living thing, I guess.
I have written some good stuff in other places, but it's not for public consumption, hence my not proffering it here. But I do begin to feel like I'm wasting the time of all the people who come visit on a daily basis. (And the person who's been reading my archives, you know who you are, even if I don't.)
Yes, I realize that blogs are the ultimate vanity-version of the First Amendment, that this is what freedom of speech boils right down to at its grassroots level: I want to write about me and put it up for the Universe to read. Because that's what interests me most. Me. It should interest you most, too. And my right to do so is constitutionally protected. Now, even my right to do so while posting naked pictures of myself and others is protected.
(But I'm not going to do that. Because I'm thinking of you and your needs, and I know that one of your main needs is to not see pictures of me naked. You didn't realize that until I mentioned it, did you? It's like not realizing that you desperately want to see Gene Hackman in a dress until the very last moments of The Birdcage. Suddenly, the idea is in your head and there's nothing you want more. In this instance, of course, it's that there's nothing you want more than to not see the suggested image.)
And I realize that my angst here is also part and parcel of being a professional entertainer. I feel like I have to do that in this space as well. Only, I don't really. I just... I don't know. I feel like I made a contract with my readers to be open and honest and interesting and I haven't done much of that lately because I've had so much else to do. (Which includes reading four memoirs and a book of short stories in the last six days. What can I say? I have a voracious appetite for good writing.)
I also feel like I haven't really got much to natter on about that's not complaining. And there's no point in complaining, not really, as I could fix any and/or all of the things that annoy me if I just got off my ass and addressed them. I've been doing better about the addressing them part, thanks to another group of really interesting and helpful books. (You know, one of the great things about Jungian psychology is that if you read the books just before you go to sleep, you have the most interesting dreams.)
So there you are. Guilt, time pressures and laziness, along with not liking to share other people's business, which is also a part of why I haven't posted much. The topics I would most like to ponder here right now would involve revealing other people's stories, and those aren't mine to tell.
I can share this with you, though. The soon-to-be 16 year-old cat is curled up on the hope chest. Snoring. Loudly.
Posted by sally at 07:47 PM
March 20, 2007
I Don't Want to Go Outside
My office hours on Tuesdays are 1-2:30pm. In that time, it has hailed thrice. Three small but violent and utterly miserable hailstorms. The third one just stopped, and right now the sun is shining. But based on the timing so far, the fourth is due to start about the same time I leave this building.
Also, I'm supposed to go to a Vernal Equinox thing at one of the local parks today. (I know the equinox isn't until Thursday. I didn't plan it. I'm just a lowly invitee.) But I'm not sure I want to stand in a hailstorm and say "Yay, spring." At this point, I'm more likely to shake my fist at the sky and say, "Fucking cut it out!"
In other spring-related news, however, I did do some weeding last weekend, and some seed planting (I know, it's way too early, but I couldn't stand it any more) and my snowdrops are up. I'm also seeing lots of buds on lots of shrubs and bushes. And hearing bunches of birdsong. It's so nice to have the season finally changing, even if it's supposed to snow tonight.
Ah. The cycle is speeding up. The sun is still shining, but the hail, it is falling again. And now it's stopped.
Fantastic. I forsee roughly six, seven hail flurries in my upcoming hike to the car.
Posted by sally at 01:18 PM
March 16, 2007
And With Good Reason
I'm back. It was a short trip, but a lovely one. Even the driving wasn't too bad. I got to spend time with my parents, my brother, and best of all,
My Boy
Personally, I think almost any amount of driving would be worth that.
Posted by sally at 03:13 PM | Comments (4)
March 12, 2007
Dear GOD I Am Finally Done With the Grading
Four straight days of grading midterms, with some weeding and a drive to Spokevegas to get the car serviced thrown in for good measure.
I read 180 3-5 page essays this weekend. I do not want to think, speak or hear about the Male Gaze, pornography in any form or female power for at least 48 hours. Instead, I am going to make some ATCs, download photos from my camera to my computer and then drive to Boise to see my nephew for three days.
I probably won't post again until I get back home. Just so you know.
Have a lovely Spring Break, those of you who get one this week. Everyone else just have a lovely spring.
(Unless you're in the southern hemisphere. In which case, have a marvelous fall.)
Posted by sally at 08:11 PM
March 11, 2007
Oh Yes, the Dieting
As of yesterday morning:
Starting Weight (June 2006): 186 lbs
Current Weight: 165.2 164.2 lbs
Short(ish) Term Goal: 150 lbs
Oh. My. God. I've been grading papers All. Day. I can barely see. And more of the same joy to come tomorrow. (I really have no right to complain. I'm the person who assigned them.)
And happy Daylight Saving Time. (Yippee. Even less sleep for me.)
Posted by sally at 12:53 AM
March 08, 2007
Also
Whew
Posted by sally at 08:52 PM
New Post Over at Prose Takes a Holiday
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know I barely keep this blog afloat, much less the other one that I started in JULY and haven't updated since.
Only, I have.
I'm too tiddliacious at this point to say much more than go see.
Posted by sally at 08:33 PM
Emergency Chocolate
For this entire semester I have kept a single almond Hershey's kiss in my file drawer, saving it for an emergency, a time when I needed to eat it more than I needed to save it for later.
Just now, I ate it, and I learned two things:
1) It was exactly what I needed at the moment.
2) It wasn't nearly enough chocolate.
Posted by sally at 01:56 PM | Comments (4)
March 05, 2007
Let's Turn Out All the Lights and Play "Guess Who's in My Mouth"
That, in a nutshell, explains the difference between theatre people and pretty much everybody else.
Not because theatre people regularly play games like the one mentioned in the subject heading, but because if anybody else heard that in the workplace, they would most likely be appalled. Theatre people? Laugh like hell. Because it's funny.
Yes, it's offensive. Yes, it borders on sexual harrassment. However. We have much more malleable boundaries when it comes to that sort of thing. We have to. Occupational requirement. An actor has to be able to create instant intimacy with another actor and "fall in love" on very short notice. Often with someone they don't know. Or with someone who isn't the person they're married to in real life. So we have to be pretty comfortable with letting other people into our space anyway. For art's sake.
Plus, we have to be comfortable with our bodies (dancers may have to be even moreso). Actors, even though we are forced to deal with all the age and thinness bullshit, still have to be able to move the way we need to, to be sexy when required, to be brutish when required, to be physically whatever is required when it's required, even if we're not that way in the rest of our lives. We also have to be willing to be stared at, to "accept the look," as one of my former acting teachers would say. And that also leads to a much greater comfort with foul language and suggestive conversation.
This makes it hard for the rest of the world to understand us. Because we operate in ways so contrary to most of society.
I recently read a story about "how not to give an Oscar acceptance speech" that offended me so much I couldn't finish it. It was quite clear that the writer didn't know the first thing about actors. This sentence in particular gave it away, "If anything, you'd think the actors would be better able to control their emotions than most people."
Um. No. Actors are probably some of the worst people in the world when it comes to controlling their emotions. You know why? Because control kills acting. You have to be relaxed and available to allow what is going to happen to happen. The minute you try to either force or tamp down on an emotion, you kill it. The craft comes in knowing what you're doing and why, knowing what you're saying and why, knowing the truth of it, and then getting yourself out of the way so it can happen.
And the part that makes us so hard to live with? The minute an actor starts trying to regulate and control emotions in their daily life, they start locking up in their work. That's why we're louder than other people, why our emotional highs and lows tend to be so much more than other people's, and why, frankly, so many actors are addicted to various substances. Because sometimes, you just need to numb the pain.
I am not, by the way, trying to suggest that other people don't have feelings. Or that those feelings aren't valid. As my mother frequently told me during my childhood, "Feelings are neither right nor wrong; they just are." I just want to make it clear that actors? Are not like most other people. We can't afford to be.
I like to tell people that I'm a professional human being. Because that's my job. To be a human being in the most heartfelt and true way there is. I just have to do it using someone else's words, in artificial light, in a costume that may or may not be comfortable to wear, in front of hundreds of people. And I have to do it in a similar way, in a similar order, several nights in a row.
Posted by sally at 04:15 PM | Comments (5)
March 03, 2007
Dieting Whatever
I weighed myself two weeks ago but was so busy with visitors that I forgot to post it. (That's the struck through number.) Last week, I wasn't in town and packing the scale along seemed pointless. So I just didn't. Now, since ACTF is over and the show is over, I have some time to actually start focusing on this stuff. I can re-up my gym membership and I actually have the time to go grocery shopping. So. Hopefully we'll start to see some real progress here.
But for now, here are the numbers:
Starting Weight (June 2006): 186 lbs
Current Weight: 166.0 165.2 lbs
Short Term Goal: 150 lbs
Posted by sally at 12:50 PM
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